Notes on a Scandal

Aroview: Authorities Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench go head-to-head in this psychological gambit between a pottery teacher engaged in an illicit affair with a student, and her senior colleague obsessed with exposing the scandalous details.

Exploiting the best his prestige thespians have to offer (inc. a constantly surprisingly Bill Nighy), dir. Eyre works the film’s occasional melodramatic tendencies into a malevolent tit-for-tat of secrets, lies, emotional blackmail, and female cunning. Both Dench and Blanchett are in compelling form, by turns vulnerable and predatory in their sociopathic exchanges, exerting acting pedigree to such a point that their dueling performances become a competitive sport. Philip Glass provides the distinctive score.

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